1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for the deposition, synthesis and screening of an array of diverse materials at known locations on a single substrate surface. More specifically, the invention is directed to a physical masking apparatus and methods for applying films of materials to a substrate with deposition techniques, such as sputtering, laser deposition, ion beam, electron beam and thermal evaporation, spray coating and the like.
2. Description of Related Art
The discovery of new materials with novel chemical and physical properties often leads to the development of new and useful technologies. Currently, there is extensive research in the discovery and optimization of materials, such as superconductors, zeolites, magnetic materials, phosphors, nonlinear optical materials, thermoelectric materials, high and low dielectric materials and the like. Unfortunately, even though the chemistry of extended solids has expanded, few general principles have emerged that allow one to predict with certainty the composition, structure and reaction pathways for the synthesis of such solid state compounds.
The preparation of new materials with novel chemical and physical properties is not easily predicted or controlled. Consequently, the discovery of new materials depends largely on the ability to synthesize and analyze new compounds. Given approximately 100 elements in the periodic table which can be used to make compositions consisting of three, four, five, six or more elements, the universe of possible new compounds remains largely unexplored. As such, there exists a need in the art for a more efficient, economical and systematic approach for the synthesis of novel materials and for the screening of such materials for useful properties.
One of the processes whereby nature produces molecules having novel functions involves the generation of large collections (libraries) of molecules and the systematic screening of those collections for molecules having a desired property. This notion of generating and screening large libraries of molecules has recently been applied to the drug discovery process.
Methods have been developed for the synthesis and screening of large libraries of peptides, oligonucleotides and other small molecules. Some methods involve functionalizing the termini of polymeric rods and sequentially immersing the termini in solutions of individual amino acids. In addition, techniques have recently been introduced for synthesizing large arrays of different peptides and other polymers on solid surfaces.
Developing new materials often requires combinatorial deposition of thin-films onto substrates wherein the precise chemical composition, concentrations, stoichiometries and thicknesses of the deposited films is known. To this end, it would be beneficial to construct apparatus and methodology to produce arrays of materials with varying composition, concentrations, stoichiometries and thickness on known locations on a substrate so that the materials can be readily synthesized and analyzed.
Vacuum flanges are basic constituents of thin-film fabrication equipment. Typically, fabrication equipment will have a number of flanges mounted, and each one carries/provides a device that performs a specific task. However, these conventional multi-flange arrangements, which have individual flanges to perform a task, tend to be very expensive and cumbersome.
The need therefore exists for a single vacuum flange adapted to perform different types of spatially selective thin film fabrication on a substrate at variable temperatures, whereby the necessary shutter system is incorporated into the single vacuum flange.